Acting on a plea that alleged that the water quality of rivers Kali, Krishna and Hindon is degrading due to discharge of effluents from various industries, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday sought response from the Centre and Uttar Pradesh Government seeking directions to prevent pollution of rivers in western UP.
Setting the date of next hearing as July 14, a bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued the notice to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Uttar Pradesh Government, Centre Pollution Control Board (CPCB), UP Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) and others. The tribunal’s order came on a plea by NGO Jai Hind, which alleged that due to the discharge of effluents from sugar mills, paper mills, abattoirs and other chemical industries, the water quality of rivers Kali, Krishna and Hindon is degrading.
The plea, filed through advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, states that an affidavit filed by CPCB said that the water quality of rivers Kali, Krishna and Hindon is deteriorating due to the effluents discharged from various industries. It also says that the analytical results of Hindon reveal that its water quality does not meet the prescribed standard of Primary Water Quality for bathing.
“It is clear from the reply submitted by CPCB that the untreated sewage effluents are joining the rivers and there is a dire need for taking emergency measures for remedying and mitigating the pollution,” it said asking directions being issued to the respondents to formulate and implement an emergency plan as prescribed under Section 32 of the Water (Prevention & Control of Pollution) Act, 1974 for remedying and mitigating the pollution of Hindon, Kali and Krishna which are responsible for the deterioration of water quality of Yamuna.